“When the students at a prestigious prep school spread a hoax email about a serial killer, they start a game of terror and deception that has three rules: avoid suspicion, lie to your friends, and eliminate your enemies. But what starts as a joke soon turns deadly and now they find themselves victims of their own game!”

This is the unrated director’s cut of Cry_Wolf, but the theatrical version was rated PG-13 for violence, terror, disturbing images, language, sexuality and a brief drug reference.

The Movie:
When I started watching Cry_Wolf, I was expecting yet another cheap slasher flick that was cashing in on the big waves of popularity that horror films have been riding recently. While there are certainly slasher elements in this movie, the movie is more of a thriller or mystery than a horror flick. That made it a little more interesting for me, personally.

Cry_Wolf does a few things that sets it apart from other movies in the horror genre. First of all, it uses new technology to set up scary moments. For example, our killer uses cell phones, camera phones, and instant messaging to terrorize our hapless teens. This has been done before, but the creators of Cry_Wolf use it pretty effectively.

The movie’s plot also takes a number of twists and turns to keep you guessing. You may not be able to figure out who the killer is until the writers are ready for you to know who it is (despite clues being laid out along the way). Some parts of it are predictable, but the story quickly throws another twist at you just when you think you have everything figured out.

The cast of the film aren’t particularly remarkable. None of them does anything that really makes them stand out from the other cast members. About the only notable one is Lindy Booth as Dodger and that’s mainly because she’s so attractive.

I never saw the theatrical version of Cry_Wolf, so I can’t tell you how it compares to the theatrical version. I can say, though, that I don’t see anything that would bump this film from a PG-13 to an R. The whole “Unrated” label implies that the film may have more sex, violence, or language. If this version does, I didn’t notice it.

The Extras:
There are a fair number of bonus features included on this DVD. Here are the highlights:

Deleted / Extended Scenes  There are a number of extra scenes, but none of them are particularly noteworthy. One features an extended version of the game scene from early in the film. Another deleted scene shows Dodger sneaking into Owen’s room for a quick makeout and groping session. Another deleted scene shows Owen and Randall having a brief confrontation in the woods before the body of the girl is found.

Alternate Scene  This is an alternate version of the wolf and sheep game that the students play. The rules are different and there are three wolves rather than one. It’s rather long and doesn’t do much for the film other than establish that Owen ticks off the students a little bit more.

Wolves, Sheep and Shepherds: Casting the Roles  These are videos from the auditions that the various actors went through. You can listen to the videos with commentary.

Enter the Sinister Set  Rather than your standard “making of” video, actor Julian Morris offers this behind the scenes look at the filming of the movie. He shows the making of a few key scenes, clowning around after hours with the actors, and even Bon Jovi’s trailer. It’s a nice taste of something a little different in DVD extras.

The Tower of Babble  Director Jeff Wadlow won the Chrysler Million Dollar Film Festival with this short film. He took generic dialogue and shot three different scenes with it. There’s a little nudity in it which earns it the “exclusive unrated extras” label.

Manual Labor  This is another Wadlow film festival entry from Cannes. In it a man tries to get his wife to the hospital when she goes into labor.

Feature Commentary with Director / Co-Writer Jeff Wadlow, Producer / Co-Writer Beau Bauman and Editor / Associate Producer Seth Gordon  This is pretty much your standard commentary from the makers of the film. The tight schedule of the movie is a big topic of conversation.

The Bottom Line:
I think Cry_Wolf is worth checking out if you’re into mysteries or thrillers. I also think fans of the slasher genre should be happy, too, despite the fact that this isn’t the focus of this movie.